Show me the boy at 7...

Dear Oliver,

There is an old saying, 

"show me the boy at 7 and I’ll show you the man."  

So as I sit here on the eve of your 7^th birthday I am thinking about the type of man you will be. Here are my predictions:

You will be an encourager. You will be the man that bats the underdog. Someone who meets people in their fears and challenges and reaches out that hand. You will have great joy in seeing people succeed.

You will be a practical joker.  I don’t know if farts and burps will ever not be funny to you.  You will hide behind corners in your house and give your wife a fright or apple pie your son’s bed.   You will start planning your April Fools day pranks weeks in advance.

You will cry.  I hope your soft, kind sensitive heart never changes, and if I am right you will be the type of man that cries.  In movies, when you witness injustice or cruelty, at your child’s birth, when your dog dies, at your daughters wedding, when you pray.

You will be in a job that has lots of people interaction. You love people.  It will be varied in it’s tasks as you would get sick of doing the same thing every day, and it won’t be in an office, or in a suit.

You will marry a wife that can cook.  The way to your heart is through your stomach and she will have to love cuddles too. You will love and adore her and always let her know.

You will stay close to family.  You will be the one that visits with mum and Dad in the retirement home, that choses to study close by, that still brings his laundry home when he’s flatting.

You will carry the burden of others on your shoulders and this will weigh heavy at times.

You will be your own worst critic and will be hard on yourself. Learn to turn those negative thoughts into positive ones.  Allow yourself some grace.

You will always have a pet, and it will most likely be a dog.

You will have big highs and big lows.  The lows will threaten to swallow you. In those times, after a break up or disappointment your Dad and I will have pancakes ready and waiting.

You will be curious, trying out lots of new hobbies, working out how things work, but things won’t hold your attention for long. You will be onto the next thing. 

You will have just a few close friends and they will have your lifetime loyalty.

Oliver, middle son, you have my heart.  You are teaching me so much about parenting. Pretty much all the grey hairs on my head I credit to you.  This week I have cried and worried and sought a heap of advice on the best way to handle you and after talking to my mum and writing this, I have come to the conclusion that my job isn’t to change you, but just to love you.  Lucky for me, loving you is easy.

Happy Birthday handsome boy.   And yay! Those top teeth are finally coming through.